A Tsunami of Public Opinion

At 7:29 PM, one minute before the "Livelihood Watch" program was scheduled to start.

In the news channel studio of the provincial television station, Zhou Ting adjusted her headset one last time, her gaze sweeping over the teleprompter in front of her. The director, behind the glass, held up three fingers and began to count down.

3, 2, 1.

As the opening theme music began and the studio lights came on, Zhou Ting faced the camera with the standard, serious yet approachable expression of a news anchor.

"Good evening, viewers, and welcome to ' Livelihood Watch.' Recently, the well-known chain restaurant brand ' Dongbei ' has been caught in a media storm. From the initial controversy over 'pre-prepared meals in service areas,' to the later live broadcast of the 'transparent kitchen,' and then to the recent joint inspection by multiple departments that revealed problems... What exactly happened to this catering company that claims to use 'fresh ingredients and cook to order'? Our reporter conducted an in-depth investigation."

The scene cuts in.

The first shot: the Dongbei store in the service area. It wasn't filmed recently, but rather a screenshot from a short video circulating online—dim lighting, a somewhat deserted store, and the voices of two young people talking: "Frozen," "It's normal for the quality to be a little lower." The image quality is somewhat blurry, but the sound is clear.

The second shot: Switching to a live stream of Dongbei's own "transparent kitchen." The picture is much brighter, with chefs tossing food in front of the camera and ingredients neatly arranged. But the next second, the camera suddenly zooms in—next to the chef, a pair of stainless steel scissors are cutting open a transparent packaging bag. The image freezes, and the words on the packaging bag are enlarged. "Dongbei Central Kitchen Exclusive - Braised Pork Seasoning Pack."

Zhou Ting's voice-over begins, calm, but each word strikes like a hammer blow. "'Transparent kitchens' were originally intended to reassure consumers, but under the lens, some details have raised more questions."

The third shot, and the core of tonight's report, is the actual footage of a joint inspection by multiple departments.

Zhao Qiming from the Market Supervision Administration pointed to the thermometer in the freezer. "Minus eleven degrees Celsius, the regulation stipulates it should be below minus eighteen degrees Celsius."

Sun Hongmei from the health supervision bureau wiped the exhaust fan blades with a cotton swab; the swab tip turned black. "Accumulated grease can easily cause fires and pollution."

Chen Jianguo, from the fire brigade, pointed to the fire escape blocked by cardboard boxes. "In the event of a fire, this is a dead end."

There are also blurry Back View of tax bureau staff and close-ups of ledgers spread out on the table.

Each scene is accompanied by a brief interview audio:

A Dongbei store clerk (face blurred): "The ledgers... are all kept this way according to the instructions from above."

A store manager (voice altered): "We don't want to block the passageway either, but the kitchen simply can't accommodate everyone..."

Zhou Ting's voice rang out again. "According to our reporter's investigation, recently, multiple departments, including market supervision, health, fire protection, and taxation, conducted surprise inspections of several Dongbei stores in the province, and the problems discovered were shocking. What's even more worrying is that these problems are not isolated cases."

The screen switched to a chart showing that of Dongbei's more than 30 stores in S Province, 12 recently inspected stores all had problems. Issues included substandard freezing temperatures, unsanitary areas, fire hazards, and improper record-keeping... The chart was covered in dense red markings.

When a company uses "freshly made" as its core slogan, does it truly deliver on its promise to consumers? As its chain expands, can management keep pace with the growth? When problems arise, does it confront them honestly, or try to cover them up?

Zhou Ting's tone rose slightly, carrying the restrained questioning characteristic of a journalist.

The image finally freezes on the closed roller shutter door of the Dongbei flagship store, where the white "Notice of Rectification of Major Fire Hazards" is particularly glaring under the lens.

"Food safety is of utmost importance, and fire safety is a lifeline. ' Livelihood Watch ' will continue to follow this issue. Thank you for watching."

As the end credits rolled, Zhou Ting took off her headset, and the studio lights dimmed. The director said into the headset, "Sister Zhou, hold on. This segment is going to give them a run for their money."

Zhou Ting didn't speak, but simply let out a soft breath.

She knew this was just the beginning.

Almost simultaneously with the broadcast of Dongbei program, the hashtag # Livelihood Watch # trended on Weibo.

The first to retweet was the official Weibo of the provincial television station, which attached a condensed version of the program video. The caption was very restrained. "[Investigation] Safety hazards behind chain restaurants."

The number of reposts exceeded 10,000 within ten minutes.

The comment section was quickly flooded with various opinions:

"I've seen it, and it's shocking. How many bacteria could grow if the freezer temperature wasn't up to standard?"

"I was shocked by the scene of the fire escape being blocked. If there were a fire, where would the people inside run to?"

"So the guy at the service area was right, it's pre-made food, and not fresh!"

"Where are those online trolls? Come out and show yourselves! Didn't you say Dongbei was wronged?"

["Dongbei Catering, come out and explain yourself?"]

Dongbei's official Weibo remains silent. The latest post, a "Solemn Statement Regarding Recent False Information Online," was published three days ago and has been flooded with angry comments from netizens.

But the public outcry didn't stop there.

On Douyin), a blogger edited the most shocking clips from the show into a 15-second short video: a close-up of Zhao Qiming pointing at the thermometer, a shot of Sun Hongmei holding up a black cotton swab, and a scene of Chen Jianguo shaking his head at a cardboard box blocking the passage. Accompanied by tense music and large text effects, the video reads, "Shocking! Eye-opening! Heart-stopping!"

The number of likes skyrocketed.

On Bilibili, content creators (UPs) have started making in-depth analysis videos. Some analyze the "advantages and disadvantages of the central kitchen model" from the perspective of the catering industry; some interpret the "relevant penalty clauses of the Food Safety Law" from a legal perspective; and some technically skilled UPs analyze frame by frame the production date that is faintly visible on the packaging bag when the scissors cut open the bag in the live broadcast video.

A new question has appeared on Zhihu's trending list, "How do you evaluate the problems found in Dongbei Catering during inspections by multiple departments?" The highly-rated answer comes from a user who claims to be a "former catering professional," who dissects Dongbei's business model in detail, pointing out that "its rapid expansion at low cost inevitably leads to a collapse in quality control."

Even financial media outlets have jumped in. An article titled "Dongbei's Dilemma: The Rampant Development of Chain Restaurants and the Lack of Quality Control" was reprinted on major financial platforms. The article cited Dongbei's financial reports for the past three years, pointing out that "its expansion speed is not proportional to the increase in profit margin, and it is suspected of sacrificing quality for scale."

Public opinion snowballed, growing bigger and bigger. And the official media reports were the initial push that sent the snowball flying down the mountain.

8 PM, Dongbei S Province Branch Conference Room.

The room was filled with smoke. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. Regional manager Old Liu sat at the end of the long table, staring at the projected image on the wall—a replay of a segment from "Livelihood Watch." Seven or eight store managers, including Li Wei, sat in the conference room. Everyone looked ashen-faced, and no one spoke.

After the video finished playing, Old Liu turned off the remote control. Only the hum of the air conditioner remained in the conference room.

"You all saw it?" Old Liu's voice was hoarse. "Provincial TV, prime time. It's all over the internet now."

Still, no one spoke.

"Speak up!" Old Liu suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "Weren't you usually so talkative? Now you're mute?!"

A young store manager whispered, "Mr. Liu, what do we do now? Three groups of customers came to my store today, and as soon as they saw the seal on the door, they turned around and left..."

"You only had three groups?" another store manager chuckled wryly. "At my store, people have been taking pictures since the afternoon, then posting them on WeChat Moments with captions like 'Avoid this rip-off store.' I'm fucking..."

"Enough!" Old Liu interrupted them. "Is this the time to complain? The phones at headquarters are ringing off the hook! Chairman Zheng is still in the hospital, the shareholders are demanding answers, the banks are demanding answers, and the suppliers are asking questions! And what about us? Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

Li Wei sat in the corner, head down, staring at the cup of tea in front of him that had long since gone cold. The tea leaves had sunk to the bottom of the cup, resembling a pile of withered insect corpses.

He recalled his visit to the tax bureau that afternoon. The young tax official was very polite and asked very professional questions: cost structure, ingredient procurement ratios, discrepancies between central kitchen delivery records and store consumption... He stammered as he answered, but the official wasn't in a hurry. He simply smiled, took notes, and then said, "Manager Li, please go back first, we'll look into it further."

Research. The word sounded mild, but it sent chills down Li Wei's spine.

"Li Wei!" Old Liu suddenly called out.

Li Wei raised his head.

"What did the fire department say about your shop? When will the rectification be completed?"

Li Wei opened his mouth, his voice dry. "The fire department said... we have to wait for their inspection. But we don't have any money right now. Fire extinguishers, emergency lights, kitchen exhaust cleaning... all of these cost money. Headquarters said before... that we'd have to cover the costs ourselves first..."

"What the hell!" Old Liu cursed. "Where does headquarters have any money left? They can barely pay salaries!"

The conference room was deathly silent.

Someone muttered under their breath, "What do we do then... just wait to die?"

Old Liu suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the conference room like a trapped beast. After circling a few times, he stopped, put his hands on the table, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Listen," he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Starting tomorrow, all stores still open—if they still exist—will offer discounts, 30% off, no, 50% off! We need to get our customers back! For the stores that have been shut down, the managers must personally go and plead, pull strings! Give gifts where necessary, treat everyone to meals where appropriate! I don't care what methods you use, within three days, I want to see at least half of the stores reopened!"

"General Manager Liu," a slightly older store manager hesitated before speaking, "in this climate... will discounts even work? And as for gifts... last time, I had someone send two cartons of cigarettes to that Director Zhao from the Market Supervision Bureau, but he returned them unopened, saying, 'We're acting according to the law; there's no need for these things.'"

"Then you figure something out!" Old Liu roared. "Are we just going to wait to die? Wait for headquarters to go bankrupt? Wait for us all to lose our jobs?"

No one responded. Everyone kept their heads down, staring at the table or their own hands.

Looking at the room full of dejected people, Old Liu suddenly felt a wave of powerlessness. He waved his hand. "Meeting adjourned. Go back and think of a solution."

The store managers got up one after another, the sound of chairs scraping against the floor was jarring. Li Wei was the last to arrive, and when he reached the door, Old Liu called him back.

Li Wei.

Li Wei turned around.

Old Liu walked over and handed him a cigarette. Li Wei took it and lit it. The two stood in the corridor, smoking in silence.

"Your shop... forget it." Old Liu exhaled a smoke ring. "You should also think about your own future. Dongbei... might really not make it this time."

Li Wei didn't say anything, but took a deep drag on his cigarette. The smoke stung his lungs, making him want to cough.

At the end of the corridor, the television was still replaying the evening news. The female anchor's clear and articulate voice could be faintly heard. "... Food safety is the bottom line; no company can sacrifice consumer health for profit..."

Old Liu stubbed out his cigarette on the trash can. "Let's go."

Li Wei stubbed out his cigarette and turned to leave.

The corridor was long, the lights were a stark white. His shadow stretched long, very long, across the floor.

Meanwhile, in a VIP ward on the other side of the city.

Zheng Dong leaned against the headboard, his eyes fixed on the television hanging on the wall. The program "Livelihood Watch" had ended and was playing commercials. But he could still almost see those images: the thermometer in the freezer, the blackened cotton swabs, the blocked aisle, and the clerk's face, blurred but still showing signs of panic.

The secretary stood by the bed and carefully handed him a glass of water. "Chairman Zheng, please have some water..."

Zheng Dong didn't answer. He stared at the TV, then suddenly asked, "Online... how's it going now?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment, then took out her tablet, opened the Weibo trending topics list, and handed it over.

Livelihood Watch Dongbei Survey# ranks third.

Dongbei's fire exits are blocked, ranking seventh.

Dongbei's apology # ranked twelfth -- that was a statement released by Dongbei's official account three days ago, which has now become a laughing stock.

Zheng Dong scrolled through the screen, looking at the flood of comments below. The words were like knives, stabbing into his eyes one by one.

Why didn't you do this sooner?

"That unscrupulous company should go bankrupt!"

"It is recommended that the relevant departments conduct a thorough investigation!"

"Where are all those trolls who tried to whitewash things? Don't they feel ashamed?"

He continued scrolling down, his fingers trembling.

A widely circulated Weibo caught his attention. The blogger, a legal Scholar, had written a lengthy article titled "Legal Liability for Corporate False Advertising: A Case Study of Dongbei." The article detailed relevant clauses from the Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law, the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and the Food Safety Law, concluding that Dongbei's actions constituted false advertising, consumers could demand triple compensation, regulatory authorities could impose heavy penalties, and in serious cases, even criminal prosecution.

criminal responsibility.

The four words, like four nails, were driven into Zheng Dong's mind.

He slammed the tablet away! It hit the wall, the screen shattered, and it slid onto the carpet.

"Chairman Zheng!" the secretary exclaimed.

Zheng Dong was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and the monitor was beeping rapidly. A nurse rushed in, put an oxygen mask on him, and adjusted the IV drip.

"Calm down, Mr. Zheng, you mustn't get agitated..."

Zheng Dong couldn't hear anything. His vision went black, and his ears were ringing. The images, the comments, the legal clauses, and Lin Feng's calm voice on the phone—"Games shouldn't be played like this"—were all mixed together, a jumbled mess that almost exploded in his head.

He grabbed the nurse's hand, his nails digging into her flesh. "Medicine... give me the medicine..."

The nurse broke free and, together with the doctor, held him down and gave him a sedative.

The cold liquid rushed into my veins, and the world began to blur, spin, and recede into the distance.

Before completely losing consciousness, Zheng Dong's last clear thought was:

It's over.

It's all over.

The night grew deeper.

Online discussions about Dongbei continue. New trending topics are emerging: # Dongbei #, # Dongbei #, Dongbei #...

In reality, one after another, Dongbei's stores turned off their lights and locked their doors. Some were sealed off, some had "Temporarily Closed" signs, and some had even taken down their signs.

The city remains bustling with traffic and flashing neon lights.

It's just that a few red signs are missing.

The promise of "fresh ingredients, cooked to order" is missing.